Biological samples and in particular, exemplary blood samples may be tested for various analytes usually by collecting it on paper or a card, allowing it to dry, and then sending it to a lab for processing. Alternatively, liquid samples collected in vials and typically refrigerated may also be used. The paper is typically in the form of a card in which a few drops of blood drawn by a lancet is applied and on which identifying information may be recorded. In the lab, the spot containing the sample may be punched out from the card, typically in a disk shape. The blood may be released from the punch out from the card by application of a saline solution, and the solution containing the blood may then be subjected to the desired lab testing.
In the use of collection vials, the sample may be removed from the vial, typically with a pipette, or similar tube. Pipettes are a non-planar structure, typically consisting of a pointed tube structure into which liquid may be drawn into by suction, and released onto a sample material, by releasing the vacuum created by the suction. Such a system tends to be mechanically complex, and is not easy to construct. Accordingly, a simple planar collection device that does not require the application of suction to collect a sample would be desirable. Also, such vial and pipet systems typically utilize racks to store the vials, which is a further mechanical complexity in current sample processing methods.
Testing of dried blood may be advantageously used in testing for infectious diseases, home testing by consumers and the like. This type of sample collection allows samples to be easily collected in the field and transported, typically without refrigeration, as would be needed with a liquid blood specimen. In the lab, a portion of the card containing the sample may be tested. Unfortunately, the process of detaching a portion of a sample from a card typically calls for extra processing of the sample card—typically performed manually by a lab technician. This operation also presents an opportunity for cross contamination from instruments used, so elimination of having to punch out a portion of the card would be desirable. For an individual test, the current approach may be satisfactory. However, in testing large numbers of samples, such as during an epidemic, quick testing with a minimum of handling is called for. Accordingly, developing improved devices for the collection of blood and other biological samples which are subsequently dried, and their later processing may be desirable to make sample collection, and lab processing,—especially automated processing of large numbers of samples—more efficient.